Who was good – and who was bad – in 2024

In a region known for natural disasters that make global headlines, 2024 will see the addition of thousands of “climate victims” across Asia..

Unlike twenty years ago, when the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on December 26, 2004 killed more than 200,000 people, 2024 will be a year of increasing human toll from cyclones, floods, heat waves and droughts.

In one example, Super Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest storms to hit Southeast Asia in years, left a trail of death and destruction in November. From the Philippines, through southern China and Vietnam, then to Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the storm killed hundreds and destroyed communities and livelihoods.

Floods caused by annual monsoon rains have also left millions of people stranded and hundreds dead in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal, making this year one of the deadliest in recent memory. If the rainfall was not unprecedented, it was a drought accompanied by extremely high temperatures that led to months of severe water shortages.

Although extreme weather events seem more common, and their victims increasingly ignored and often forgotten, the region's climate victims have the dubious distinction of being Asia's worst year.

Where did all the children go? Across much of East Asia, hopeful grandparents and other admirers of newborns faced another difficult year in 2024. Record low fertility rates remained a major concern in all major economies, including South Korea, China and Japan as well as Taiwan. And Hong Kong.

Fertility rates remained well below the level required for population stability, if not growth. The long-term economic consequences could be significant, as countries face shrinking workforces and aging populations.

Women throughout East Asia have few or no children. Changing gender roles, longer working hours, and the rising cost of housing, education and childcare are cited as some of the factors behind this demographic trend.

At the end of the year, South Korea was also officially declared an “aging” society, a concept defined by the United Nations, with citizens aged 65 or older now accounting for 20% of its population, according to the Korean Development Ministry. Interior and safety.

From India and Japan to South Korea and Indonesia, from Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Taiwan, 2024 was dominated by elections. However, by the end of the year, it had proven to be a mixed year not only for incumbent politicians, but for democracy itself.

The year began with Bangladesh's leader and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina retaining power in an election boycotted by the opposition, but she resigned and fled the country after weeks of post-election student protests.

It is ironic that this year ends with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declaring martial law, eight months after his party lost by a large majority in the general elections, but the National Assembly successfully moves to impose the lifting of martial law and remove him. The president's fate is now in the hands of the Constitutional Court.

However, the elections have fostered a vibrant democracy in Taiwan, India forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rule in a coalition, surprised the current Pakistani president, and heralded the peaceful transfer of presidential power in Indonesia to former General Prabowo Subianto. The year 2024 has been characterized by diverse and mixed democratic trajectories for democracies in Asia.

K for Korean. Whether you're listening to K-pop, streaming K-dramas, trying out the latest Korean beauty product from Sulwhasu, or picking up Korean fried chicken or any other Korean food, you've succumbed to “Hallyu” – the South. Korea's wave of popular cultural exports. 2024 has been a good year for this expanding wave of acts that has grown beyond superstar bands BTS and Blackpink.

To say that a tiny female pygmy hippopotamus named Mu Ding – which in Thai means “bouncy pork” – will take the world by storm in 2024 would be an understatement.

The “super-spreading” pygmy baby was born last July at Khao Khiaw Open Zoo in Thailand, and her photos and videos have gone viral around the world.

Fan accounts on X, TikTok, and Facebook continue to proliferate. Even NBC's long-running American comedy show “Saturday Night Live” has gotten into Mo Deng's obsession. Asian American star Bowen Yang impersonated a baby hippopotamus on the show's “Weekend Update” segment, lamenting the dangers of instant fame.

Adding to her fame, Mo Ding correctly predicted the winner of the 2024 US presidential race, by choosing a Trump-themed fruit and vegetable dish after her rival Kamala Harris.

The year 2024 may have been the Year of the Dragon in the lunar calendar, but it was clearly also the Year of the Hippo in the hearts and minds of Mo Ding fans in Asia and beyond. For bringing a little hope and joy to a region and a world that could use a lot of good cheer, the 'Asia's Best of the Year' award for 2024 goes to Moo Deng.

Here's to a year of 2025 full of hope and joy.